Denier Bracteate - Walter II

Walter II of Arnstein, who ruled this small Rhenish county through the mid-twelfth century, is better remembered for founding the Premonstratensian monastery at Arnstein in 1139 — an act prompted, according to contemporary sources, by a vow made after the death of his only son. The county's minting activity was brief; the line died out with Walter II himself, leaving this bracteate among the few physical traces of Arnstein's independent authority.